10 Great Foods

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Try and get some of these great foods regularly into your daily diet.

 

1. Apples:

Apple pectin is a soluble fibre that helps draw cholesterol out of the system. The flavonoids (Quercetin) in apples act as a powerful anti-oxidant that seems to short-circuit the process that leads “bad” LDL cholesterol to accumulate in the bloodstream. We do need to make sure we are eating the whole apple and not drinking just the apple juice to ensure we are getting the fibre.

 

2. Beans:

Beans and vegetables are an excellent source of soluble fibre and high in vegetable protein. By combing beans with brown rice, seeds, corn or wheat you can create a complete protein. Properly combined, beans become an excellent substitute for red meat protein that is high in saturated fat.

 

3. Brown Rice:

The oil in whole brown rice, not its fibre, lowers cholesterol. Brown rice can be combined with beans to form an inexpensive, complete protein low in saturated fat. In addition, this whole grain also supplies a good dose of heart-healthy fibre, magnesium and B vitamins.

 

4. Cinnamon:

A study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that half a teaspoon of cinnamon a day significantly reduces blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It also reduces triglyceride, LDL, the bad cholesterol and the total cholesterol level.

 

5. Garlic:

Garlic contains the chemical allicin, which has been shown to kill bacteria and fungi, and alleviate certain digestive disorders. It also lowers the blood clotting properties of blood. However, the most notable attention garlic has received over recent years is its possible usefulness in lowering cholesterol levels.

 

6. Grapes:

Flavonoids in grapes protect LDL cholesterol from free radical damage and reduce platelet clumping. The LDL lowering effect of grapes comes from a compound that grapes produce normally to resist mould. The darker the grape, the better. Again, we need to ensure we are eating the whole grape and not the juice (yes that includes wine!).

 

7. Oats:

Oatmeal contains soluble fibre, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol. Five to 10g of soluble fibre a day decreases LDL cholesterol by about 5%. Eating 1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 4.5g of fibre - enough to lower your cholesterol. Remember to look for oats or oatmeal that does not have additional flavourings or sugars added, you can add fruit (fresh or frozen) or a little honey/maple syrup if you like yourself.

 

8. Salmon:

The major health components in salmon include: Omega 3 fatty-acid and protein. These components have a favourable cardiovascular effect. The American Heart Association recommends that people include at least two servings of fish/week, particularly fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, anchovies and herring), in their diets.

 

9. Soy:

The top health promoting components in soybeans are isoflavones and soluble fibre. Isoflavones act like human hormone that can lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. All soy products (soybeans, soy nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.) are complete proteins. Ensure you get organic and as unprocessed as possible, watch out for those added ingredients such as gums, flavourings and sweeteners.

 

10. Walnuts:

Walnuts can significantly reduce blood cholesterol because they are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy and elastic. Almonds appear to have a similar effect, resulting in a marked improvement within just four weeks. A cholesterol-lowering diet with a little less than 1/3 of a cup of walnuts/day may reduce LDL cholesterol by 12%.